1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel for a camera, and more particulary to a lens hood provided at a lens frame located at the front end of the lens barrel and movable along the optical axis of the lens barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a lens barrel having a lens hood movably supported by the lens barrel, is known. This lens hood is retracted to the camera body when not in use, and is slidably moved to be positioned at a front end of the lens barrel when used for preventing unnecessary light from entering the lens. Further, in another known lens barrel, the lens hood has an internal thread and a lens frame of the lens barrel has an external thread, and these internal threads and the external threads can be threadingly fitted to each other whereby the lens hood can be fixed at a desired projection position when in use. These lens hoods, however, cannot be fixed at the retracted position thereof when lens hood is not in use.
In yet another conventional lens barrel, the lens hood is divided into a front annular hood member and a rear annular hood member, each of which has an internal thread at a retracted position or a projected position thereof, respectively, whereby the lens hood can be fixed at the retracted position and at the projected position thereof. In this divided type of lens hood, however, the front annular hood member and the rear annular hood member are connected to each other by an internal thread and an external thread. Thus a portion connecting the front annular hood member and the rear annular hood member is exposed. Therefore, this lens hood does not have a pleasing appearance. Further, in this lens hood, since the front annular hood member and the rear annular hood member are threadingly fitted to each other, the strength of the connection of the front annular hood member and the rear annular hood member is very low. Therefore, the front annular hood member and the rear annular hood member must be formed with a predetermined large thickness. Accordingly, it is difficult for this lens hood to be formed with a thin thickness.